Bleary eyes and Birthday Parties
by shan14
Summary: Mike Flynn hasn't taken a sick day since primary school...until now
1. Chapter 1

**Kay….I noticed in last weeks episode that the men of the Hammersley have a tendency of falling unconscious. First Chefo and Jaffer and then RO, not to mention next week two of them get food poisoning….**

**So, here's my little take on what would happen if it was Mike's turn. ….. **

**Hope you like! Reviews would be much appreciated ;D**

**Disclaimer: Don't own a thing**

Mike Flynn hadn't taken a sick day since primary school.

In fact, he struggled to remember the last time he felt remotely off colour. He'd had his fair share of hangovers, though never when he had to work the following day and even when he was a little out of it, it had never effected him to such an extent that he it was ready to curl up in a ball and sleep for the next few day's. He was a pillar of good health and fitness, or so he liked to think, and it seemed to the rest of the crew that he held some alien immunity to what ever sickness they had all managed to succumb to.

An invisible shield had protected him for most of his adult life but for some unknown reason that shield seemed to be failing so that now all he wanted to do was close his eyes and forget about the rest of the world around him. He wasn't used to having gymnastic competitions in his stomach; he didn't know how to handle the rock concert banging in his head and he didn't even want to think about the ton of bricks that seemed to be weighing down every muscle in his body. He'd decided very early on, when getting out of bed had been a five minute struggle, that being sick really really sucked and then had preceded to be in a bad mood for the rest of the day.

"Sir I really think you should go back to bed" advised Kate, looking sceptically at the man by her side. She'd never seen someone look so bad, which surprised and scared her greatly as Mike Flynn very rarely, looked bad.

"I'm fine X" came the croak of a reply. Kate scoffed silently at his words. He was struggling to stand with the rock of the boat and the steadying hand he had placed on the chair in front of him hadn't escaped her notice. Kate ran a hand through her hair with annoyance, calling on all her patience not to haul him down stairs herself as he all but tripped over his own feet.

"Mike" she scolded, trying to keep her voice low. The last thing she felt like was an odd look from Nav and ET after such a personal comment.

"I said I'm fine" replied Mike, before a fit of congested coughs caused him to double over slightly. His hand flew to his mouth in an attempt to smother them but all he succeeded in doing was lose his balance, sending him stumbling head first into the small frame of his second in command. One very annoyed second in command he noted as he raised his head slowly to look at her. Kate glanced down at the man bent over in front of her, seemingly unshaken by the sudden barrage into her personal space. Mike laid his rough hand around her waist to steady himself momentarily as his head lay parallel to her stomach.

"Your going to end up killing your self if you keep going like this" noted Kate dryly, fully aware that everyone's attention had been turned to the two but not really caring now. Her mission was to get Mike Flynn in bed and if he insisted on making a fool of himself in the process, that was his problem.

She lifted his head slightly so that she could see his paling face properly.

"Bloody hell" she muttered, amazed at how glazed his usually vibrant brown eyes were. "Did you get any sleep last night?" she asked, inspecting his face as you would a young child's. Mike couldn't find the strength to answer verbally; instead he shrugged his shoulders slowly and allowed Kate to pull his face this way and that, enjoying the feel of being so close to her once more and the cool hand caressing his burning cheek. His eyelids started to droop as the motion against his face drifted into a pattern. His head was shutting it self down, ready for a good rest and if Kate hadn't placed a strong hand against his shoulder he would have fallen asleep right against her stomach.

"At least sit down will you?" she asked, breaking him out of his trance.

"I'm fine" he muttered sleepily, hoping his back wouldn't protest to much as he stood up and broke it from the bent position it had adopted. He groaned slightly as the pain shot up to his neck, making him wonder for the first time if this was what it felt like to be old.

'Best not dwell on that thought' he reminded himself, instead focusing on making his way to the chair without another tripping spell.

Nav and ET glanced towards Kate as she watched Mike hobble away.

"He really shouldn't be up" murmured Nav, walking over to stand by Kate.

"I know" sighed the other woman, "but I don't know how we're going to get him into bed" she shrugged, feeling her frustration begin to melt as she saw the pain in his face. If the man didn't insist on being so damn stubborn she might even have felt sorry for him.

"We could call Swain, maybe he can knock some sense into him" suggested Nav, though even she doubted the chances of getting a sick, grumpy Mike Flynn to admit he'd had enough. ET immediately took the hint and left the room, hoping to find the medic before the captain drove everyone crazy.

"I don't think it would do much but we could try" agreed Kate, turning back to watch the man in question settle himself. He was having an awfully painful time trying to convince his tired muscle's that he wanted to sit again, though she had to admit, he was doing quite a good job hiding it.

A few coughing fits later ET emerged with Swain on his heels. He had known Mike was sick, in fact everyone had heard the man coughing last night, but he had been wise enough to stay out of the way till he was called upon. No one on board had actually dealt with a sick Mike before though all had a pretty good idea of what he was like.

"Sir" he sighed as the man turned around in his chair. If he had been looking at any other person he would have immediately dragged them down stairs him self, before wondering what had processed the person to think they were alright. But this was Like Flynn, his captain, and if their was anything he had learnt it was that this man didn't stop till his job as done, obviously if it meant mildly killing himself in the process

"Why aren't you in bed?" he asked, fully aware of the response he was about to receive.

"Why do you think?" was his gruff, croaky reply.

"Yeah, I know. Stupid question" admitted Swain. "But seriously, even if you haven't succeeded in giving everyone else on board what you have, your no help to any one up here" he advised praying a bit of guilt would get the man to go to bed.

Mike sighed dramatically, he was getting even sicker of people telling him he was sick and needed to go to bed. Didn't they get that he'd tried sleeping, many time's in fact, but it wasn't working. Obviously part of his curse was to be kept awake through out his ordeal and if he was going to have to live though it all he'd much rather do so up with everyone else. Not in some tiny room with scratchy sheet's plastered to his sweating skin and fit's of coughing bouncing him up and down on the mattress.

As if to prove his point he tried to stand up, succeeding in doing so, but enduring some startlingly painful aches along the way. He turned towards Swain, intending to show the medic that he was more than capable of staying with everyone where he was. He took a step forward but stumbled quickly as the swell picked up and the ship plunged more than he was anticipating. Kate watched in mild horror as Mike collapsed straight into Swain's chest, the medic only just grabbing him in time to stop him falling to the floor.

"Can I get some help here" called Swain, hauling Mike's lifeless form so he could grab under his arms.

"I got him" replied ET, lifting up the unconscious captain's legs and steering the trio towards to door.

"We got to stop people collapsing on this ship" muttered Swain as they headed towards the lounge. Once they were out of sight Kate and Nav looked over at each other, both slightly shocked by the quick happenings of the last minute though in reality they had been expecting it. After her heart had stopped beating out of her chest Kate even found herself feeling mildly relieved. At least she knew he was resting now.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

"I heard the captain finally collapsed" announced Chefo, poking his head around the door to see what all the commotion was about.

"Funny" replied Buffer dryly, helping ET and Swain lift the still unconscious man up onto the cushioned bench that had become the local hospital bed over the past few week's.

"We really need to invest in a first aid room" muttered Swain, surveying the cramped space they were all in and wondering how exactly he was supposed to work in there if anything went seriously wrong.

"Well, I'd mention it to the captain but he isn't exactly with us, is he" cracked Chefo, thoroughly enjoying the fact that Mike couldn't tell him off, wack him on the head or any combination of the two. His remark was met with no response, only scowls from the two older men and grin from ET who was desperately trying to hide it.

"Come on" he continued, waving his hand dramatically. "Don't you just want to do draw on his face or something? Crank the music up…..anything?"

"Chefo" called Buffer loudly, clearly getting annoyed with man behind him "Unlike you we seem to have noticed that Mike has just collapsed and is quite possibly seriously sick, so if your aim of today is to piss some one off, go do it else where"

"Okay, okay" he conceded, throwing his hands up in defence but keeping his smirk, "Your right, I'll stop"

"Good" muttered Buffer, turning back to Swain and the unconscious captain by his side.

"How bad is it?" he asked, noting Mike's unnatural colouring and sweating face.

"Nothing to serious" admitted Swain "But I'm still not comfortable with how high his temperature is" he added, pulling back the thermometer and recording the reading. After they got back to base he would be having a serious talk with the man about looking after himself.

"So, what's the verdict then?" asked ET, not really understanding how the captain could be fine but unconscious at the same time.

"I can't be sure till we get back to base but I'd say he's just got a bad case of the flu" replied Swain "it usually wouldn't cause you to collapse, but"

"Let me guess, when you continue working and won't sit still your body doesn't agree with you" interrupted Chefo, sharing a smile with the rest of the guy's. It was quite obvious to everyone that if Mike's body hadn't given up on him momentarily he wouldn't have stopped working all day, and all night.

"That and dehydration most likely" agreed Swain, sitting back against the table.

"I can't do much for him in terms of treatment but rest and a bit of hydration should be more than enough till we get back to base"

"So" sighed ET "nothing to worry about?" he asked, making his way towards the door.

"Nope" answered Swain "Unless anyone's afraid of catching it themselves, everything's fine"

"Good then" he nodded, mildly relieved that the captain would survive, "I'll go let Nav and X know"

Just as he was making his way towards the corridor a barrage of dry cough's filled the cabin and Swain flew to Mike's side.

"Hey there mate" he called, trying to grab Mike's attention. "You there?" he asked, shaking his shoulder roughly.

"We're out of milk Kate" mumbled Mike, swatting lazily at Swain's hand before rolling on his side.

"Did he just call you Kate" blurted out Chefo, unable to contain his surprise.

"Mike" called Swain again, deliberately ignoring Chefo's comment to focus on the man in front of him. He was having a hard time figuring out whether Mike was conscious or not, and even if he was, whether he knew where he was.

"Mike, how are you feeling?" he asked, speaking loudly and clearly so he was heard.

"Five more minutes" Mike muttered, eyes still clamped shut despite the small smile on his pale face. He clamped onto the pillow by his head, wrapping his arms around it to squeeze it tight,

"Five more minutes of what?" asked Swain, growing more confused by the second. He shared a glance with Buffer and Chefo, both of whom shrugged in response. Neither had any more idea of what was happening, but Chefo at least was enjoying listening to a disorientated Mike.

"Sleep Kate" Mike murmured sarcastically into the pillow. "I don't know bout you but I didn't get much sleep last night" he added in cheekily, voice smothered by the pillow even though his grin wasn't.

All four heads shot up quickly to look at each other, two in alarm and two in amusement.

"You don't think?"  
"He wouldn't"

"They are so dead"

"This is so good" burst out Chefo, unable to hide his laughter any more.

"I'm sure there's a perfectly, innocent explanation for this all" reasoned Swain, trying himself to come up with one.

"Well" chorused Chefo, "there's only one way to find out" he offered. ET glanced quickly at him before the two men bolted out of the cabin towards the bridge, hollering Kate's name loudly.

"Dammit" muttered Buffer as he took of after them.

Kate spun round quickly to face the two breathless men barraging through the door.

"Have you ever slept with Mike" burst out Chefo, unable to hold in the question any longer.

Kate starred silently at him, mouth slightly agape; unable to form a coherent answer to the question she had been dreading for three months now. Somewhere near the back of her mind a little voice was screaming at her to deny the claim but she was having an awfully difficult time remembering to breathe so talking seemed to be out of reach.

"What Chefo meant to say mam" interrupted Buffer as he appeared behind the men "was is there any reason why the captain would be talking to you in his hallucination?" he explained, emphasising the last word deliberately.

"Exactly" agreed Chefo, earning him a silent wack to the head.

Kate's mind was once more urging her to speak, anything that would get her out of the mess she was currently in.

"How bout I come down and see him" she suggested, though as soon as the words left her mouth she began to wonder if seeing Mike was a good idea. She didn't know what state he was in and for all she knew she was walking into a battle field.

Swain had never felt so relieved in his life the moment he heard the door creak open again. He'd spent the better half of the last minute trying to convince Mike that he wasn't Kate, and it wasn't a perfect day to go to the zoo and that, in fact, they weren't out of milk.

"What's going on?" asked Kate, noticing the sleeping form of her ex next to Swain.

"I've given up" he sighed "The man won't believe that I'm not you and that we have enough milk to last us at least a week" muttered Swain sarcastically, giving up his seat on the side of Mike's bed for Kate.

She gave him a confused glance before walking towards Mike lying on the bed. He looked oddly peaceful curled up under the blanket, pillow clutched to his side. Almost like the morning's they had spent together she thought wistfully before pushing the memories aside.

She looked questioningly over at the men surrounding her before sitting softly on the side of the make shift bed.

"Mike" she called. She wasn't exactly sure of why she was here but figured it would help if Mike was conscious.

"Kate" he groaned, shocking her as he spun around on the bed till his face was in line with her hip. He snuggled in closer to her body so that she could feel the heat from his fore head burning through the soft fabric of her clothing. She laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, shaking him forcibly in the hope's he would wake up and realise that they weren't in fact at his place five years ago but instead on board the Hammersley.

"There's no use" called Swain from behind, shocking Kate who'd forgotten she wasn't alone. "He's hallucinating, not asleep, so until we get his temperature down he's going to be like this"

"You sure?" asked Kate, fully aware of what could happen if Mike opened his mouth once more.

"Sorry" nodded Swain, smiling ruefully at Kate. She turned slowly back to Mike, watching his chest rise slowly with each breath. At least he was resting she thought, smiling softly. He did look awfully handsome curled up next to her, brown hair in a mess; cheeks flushed red from his fever, slow grin forming dimples. She looked down alarmed at his smile, the smile that had not been there a few moments ago. Either he was having one very good dream or was up to something, and going by the fact that he thought they were still together she was feeling very nervous about the latter notion.

"Mike" she warned slowly trying to back away. To her great surprise and dismay she was a few seconds late and by the time she had recovered from Mike's attack he had an arm thrown around her waist and was pulling her close to his face.

"Good morning gorgeous" he murmured sleepily in her ear. She could feel the heat radiating of his skin as his warm breath tickled her ear.

"Mike" she warned, pushing of against his chest "We can't do this" she reminded hastily, feeling her colleagues surprised stares on her back.

"I thought we'd been over that" he whined playfully, letting his head drop to the side to smile up at her. His hand climbed its way up to the base of her neck, playing with the loose strands of hair that had fallen out of her braid.

He glazed eyes turned towards hers as his mouth twitched up in confusion.

"Why's your hair up?" he asked softly, reaching his hand up closer to tug at the elastic band. Kate sighed softly at his remark. He looked so confused, lying by her side, hands wandering up and down her neck. Part of her wished she could join him, wished they could stay in the times when she was used to calling him Mike and he was used to kissing her just because he wanted to.

"We'll leave you two alone" came a voice from behind her, shocking her back to reality and self consciousness.

Swain was ushering the other three men out the door as she turned to face them. He offered her a small smile before shutting the door behind him, leaving the pair a small amount of privacy.

"Mike" tried Kate again, hoping her voice held some authority and calm despite what she wasn't feeling. She was ready for him this time. It surprised her at how easily she was slipping back into the banter they used to have. She knew what his grin meant but was ready for it this time, now all she had to do was wait for was his next attack.

Except it never came.

Instead Mike laid himself back on the bed pulling the sheet tighter around him self to ward of the cold. He shut his eyes tightly, curling up against Kate's side once again to share her warmth. She could feel him shivering against her hip, the thin sheet doing nothing against the cool he was feeling.

Slowly Kate reached a hand up to his face, brushing the damp hair away from his forehead. She ran her hand down his cheek, across his chin till her finger's lay against his lips.

She felt his soft breath even out against her palm as sleep filled his senses, engulfing his mind as it had done earlier. It amazed Kate how quickly he had gone from being her Mike to the sick captain. Not really she thought regretfully, like Swain had pointed out it was only a hallucination.

She ran a hand across his forehead soothingly to help him into sleep.

"Good night Mike" she whispered, leaning in to rest her cheek against his softly.

"Love you Katie" he whispered back, muffled against the pillow, pulling her hand up to his mouth to kiss softly.

A lone tear ran down Kate's cheek, falling to a halt against his head. Her heart was aching, pulling at her from all sides and all she wanted to do was curl up in his arms and wake up five years ago.

She wanted to be his Kate again, wanted to kiss him again, wanted to hear him say those words again because alarm bells we're going off in her head, reminding her of something she had ached over for years.

Because even though she had dreamed of those words a million times they had never been said aloud till now. And as another tear landed on his pillow she realised something even more frightful. She wasn't his Kate and she couldn't kiss him and as for those words.

They would never be said again.


	3. Chapter 3

Four bright eyed sailors stared silently at each other from across the eating room table. Each wore the same surprised expression as the next and each was to bursting for the other to say something about what had just been revealed.

"You don't think"

"Surely it can't be true"

"They are so dead!"

Burst Buffer, ET and Chefo, the latter of the two exploding with excitement while the other looked painfully towards Swain.  
"Okay" sighed the medic, stretching the word out as he lay his hands palm down against the cool surface of the table.

"Before we tell anybody anything, we have to make sure of the facts" he reasoned finally, looking pointedly at the two younger men across from him while Buffer nodded in agreement.

"Awww" complained Chefo, looking like a child that had just been told no very firmly by his parents.

"Chefo I don't think you realise the implications of what could happen if this information left the room" scolded Buffer, eyeing the man directly to make his point. He waited until Chefo had nodded in acceptance before turning towards Swain, talking to the medic quietly to enquire how exactly they were to come across any supporting evidence.

"We could always ask the good captain" suggested ET, sticking his head over the table towards Buffer and Swain to offer them a grin. He glanced at both men for approval before slinking back to his seat quietly, silenced by the glares he was receiving.

"Wouldn't that be just a bit unfair" reasoned Swain "Taking advantage of our commanding officer while he's hallucinating?"

"Nooo" exclaimed Chefo and ET in unison, glancing towards each other momentarily before grinning at the other men in the room to persuade them otherwise.  
"These are the moments we must cherish" explained Chefo, waving his hand about in passion in an attempt to capture the men's minds and bring them to his level of thinking.

"See what I mean?" he asked after a long monologue explaining how man was created to exploit the other in the most embarrassing ways humanly possible while also adding in that they'd be able to find out the captain's Birthday, a hot topic amongst the rest of the crew year round.

He found his seat again, brushing away the hair that had fallen in his eyes, before looking at Buffer and Swain, trying to gauge any sort of reaction of approval or disapproval from the men.

All he received in return was a pointed glance and a whack around the head; the latter curtesy of Buffer.

"Chefo we will not, under any circumstance use the captain's illness to find out personal information about him. Nor will we ask him any question about his reaction to the XO being in the room. Understood" commanded Buffer, feeling himself already take over the role of his sick captain. Chefo and ET looked towards each other, a sliver a guilt hiding transparent beneath their glances while Swain tried hard not to laugh at the solemn look they were giving the fuming man before them.

"Yes sir" the nodded quickly in agreement. Buffer, who throughout his speech had stood, seated himself again before adding that under no circumstances would any discussion of what they had seen leave the perimeters of the room they occupied currently. He was poised to continue but a steady knock on the door followed by it being swung open silenced the small group as they turned towards the paled form of their XO stood before them.

"How much do you know?" she blurted out quickly, side stepping into the room before shutting the door behind her, waiting for the click before allowing the men to speak.

"Only what we saw mam" answered Buffer once he realised neither Chefo nor ET were game to speak. The blonde headed XO visibly sighed in relief, closing her eyes momentarily before gesturing to the other men to move over. Once she had seated herself beside Swain she looked back up at the four expectant men, all of which were wondering what she would say next.

"So" sighed Chefo, breaking the awkward silence that had enveloped the room momentarily. He pursed his lips together after noticing the looks he was receiving from Buffer before looking across at ET for some support.

"How's the captain?" he asked suddenly, spinning in his position to face the XO. Kate watched in mild amusement as all four men tried to look interested in the well being of their boss, though she could tell at least two were so far from caring it was almost comical to see them try.

"Sleeping" she answered curtly, running a hand through her hair before laying it back on the table.

"Look" she began, eyeing each man carefully to ensure they were listening "What you saw in there" she sighed as she struggled to find the words to match her muddled brain.

"It was nothing" she admitted finally, hoping her skills at lying had not diminished over the past few years. All the same she avoided meeting anyone's gaze for the next few moments, she'd watched the current affairs programs about people reading others thoughts through their eyes and she wasn't taking any chances.

"Of course" breathed out Swain moments later. He hadn't believed a word the XO had just said but he wasn't about to let the past or present cause tension; at least not when he had no evidence.

"For someone with a temperature like the captains it's quite common for hallucinations to occur, generally about issues that have no relevance or connection to real life" he nodded, sharing a look with Kate to let her know that he wasn't about to let her take the fall any time soon.

She glanced back at him gratefully, not quite sure what he was hinting at but knowing he had just done her a big favour in turning textbook.

"Could he be hallucinating about a hidden fancy say?" Chefo couldn't help but ask, trying in earnest not to laugh while both Swain, Buffer and Kate's head's shot up in alarm.

"Chefo" growled Buffer, stamping down on the mans foot while Chefo's eye popped as he clamped down on his jaw to stop yelling in pain.

"Guy's" sighed Swain, noting the weary look the XO was wearing "I think that's enough" he suggested, staring the pair down before turning back to the XO who was by now standing, a far of look gracing her usually placid features.

"I'm going to make sure the captain's alright" she mumbled, wandering towards the door before disappearing into the corridor.

"She seemed a bit distracted" commented ET moments later, looking at Swain innocently before turning to Chefo with a grin.

"I mean it Chefo and ET" called Buffer as the two men left the room, laughing between themselves at something neither Swain nor Buffer wanted to contemplate.

"I swear if I hear anything" muttered Buffer, collapsing back into his chair and turning towards a laughing Swain.

"What?" he defended, throwing the medic a look. All Swain could do in return was grin.


	4. Chapter 4

Bleary Eyes and Birthday Parties

"Mam!" called the distressed voice of the Hammersley's youngest crew member down the hallway, swinging out of the door to grab the attention of the blonde haired woman walking in the opposite direction.

"Yes Spider?" she replied hastily, biting down on her tongue as the words came out more bitter than intended.

"Sorry to interrupt mam, but the captain's awake again" he trailed off, trying to apologise and explain his current situation at the same time. He was still quite wary of the XO, he'd seen and been on the receiving end of her fire and wasn't about to get burned again. He watched in semi amusement as her head whipped up to face him properly, her sole focus now on the man lying feverish and coughing behind Spider.

"Has he spoken?" she asked, trying to mask her concern and failing miserably.

"Yes mam, but he's not making much sense" he added, watching as she pushed past him and into the room before making a bee line for the bed side of the captain who was once again snoring.

"I thought you said he was awake, Spider?" she asked in annoyance, whipping her head around to eye the startled man behind her. She watched his face distort from surprise, to a mixture of fear and bewilderment before he stumbled around for an explanation and apology.  
"That came out harsher than I intended" she apologised before he could get a word in, sending a tired smile towards the young sailor to show that he wasn't in trouble.

"It's not your fault that the captain can't stay awake for more than five minutes" she explained "I guess I'm just tired" she mumbled, turning back towards the man she had been secretly worrying over for the past few hours.

Spider, noticing the worried yet calm look the XO was trying to hide, smiled secretly behind her back, wondering briefly if he could get away with sneaking to Chefo and ET what he had witnessed.

"Spider what was he saying?" asked Kate suddenly, not turning towards the man but giving him the impression that she had read his thoughts exactly and would not be letting him leave so soon.

"Ahh" he stumbled, unsuccessfully attempting to relay the string of words his captain had mumbled before he had fell back into slumber.

"Something about the Zoo, mam" he shrugged helplessly "Elephants, giraffes, something about a birthday party"

"That sounds about right" mumbled Kate under her breath, hiding the smile that threatened to show at the mention of such animals.

"Was that all?" she continued moments later, sensing there was something else Spider was struggling to say.

"Well, when he woke up, he looked at me and asked me what time we were leaving. Except, it wasn't like he was talking to me, he seemed to.." once more he stumbled for a bit, waving his hands about as if they might bring up the words he was searching for.

"As if he were speaking to someone he knew well. And then he called me Jeremy. After that it was the animal zoo thing and I called you mam" he concluded with a nod of confusion, looking at the XO as if she might know the answer to Mike's delusion.

"Jeremy?" she mumbled to herself, letting her mind string through the past five years and any memory of that name.

"Jeremy" she called out suddenly, looking up at Spider with an accomplished smile "His brothers name is Jeremy" she explained to the sailor, watching his face twist in confusion.

"Then why'd he call me that?" asked Spider, looking at her for help with understanding what was going on. Kate, smothering a smile so as not to offend him, nodded at the chair opposite her in invitation.

"Swain hasn't gotten around to explaining things yet, has he?" she asked as Spider settled himself down.

"No mam, not to me" he replied.

"It would seem that the captain has gotten himself a nice case of the flu, and because of his temperature, which is quite high, he's seeing things that aren't exactly there" she explained slowly, watching the array of emotions wash over the young sailors face; a mixture of confusion and amusement before his head snapped towards the nasal voice by his side.

"Move it Jem would you!" murmured the barely conscious captain, rolling over to his side before snuggling against the sheet like a little child would, pulling it tight against his chest so that his feet were sticking out the other end.

After a moments peaceful rest he decided that the draft in the room was to cold and so tugged the sheet back down over his feet, curling his toes into the edge of the blanket to hold it in place. As he wriggled back to his former position he realised that once again the sheet had been pulled down to far and therefore tried to lug it up against his chest whilst keeping his feet tucked underneath it. All the while he was watched by two curious, if not amused sailors who were trying to imagine the usual, steady captain next to the grumbling man curled and tangled beneath the thin sheet before them.

"Little help please Jem?" he grumbled beneath his breath, eyeing Spider with a malicious glare that could only be reserved for such person' as a sibling. The young man's eyebrows sky rocket as he looked towards Kate for help, silently pleading with her to get him out of the situation while he was still alive. He'd seen that look before, on his own brother, and it only meant one thing.

"Answer him" whispered Kate suddenly, giving him a look that left no room for negotiation but left him feeling like he was stuck between two very big, angry, powerful rocks.

He looked back towards Mike, who was still busy with his death stare, his heavy eyelids dropping every few seconds as he struggled to maintain the charade.

"Mike" mumbled Spider meekly; feeling slightly odd at addressing his captain by his first name and even more so because of said captain's current position.

"Jesus Jeremy, Kate's getting here any second and you haven't even picked up Ally yet" mumbled Mike in annoyance, rolling over so that his back was to the pair as Spider's head shot towards his XO in amazement. His eye brows had reached new feats against his forehead as he weighed his current position. On the one hand he had some unbelievable evidence over both the CO and XO's heads, a position anyone of the others would dye to be in, but, on the other hand he was still scared to hell of both their anger, and he was smart enough to read the current expression on the XO's face.

"I'll be going" he stumbled; tripping over his feet as he all but ran towards the door of the cabin in escape.

"I think that would be a good idea" murmured Kate quietly, staring at the CO in surprise. As soon Spider's footsteps fell silent against the metal flooring she checked the door and satisfied that it was firmly closed moved back towards the bed and the back of her captain. Instead of resuming her usual position she slowly lowered herself against the bed, sitting close to where Mike's head lay facing away from her.

She stared at him, drinking in his every feature as she had done so many times before. His hair, long strands of brown lying wayward against the white of the pillow cushioning his beaded forehead and his beautiful eyes, slowly peaking open to watch her as he rolled back over, sensing the weight of his partner against the side of the bed.

"Hey" he smiled softly, coughing roughly against his hand before lying back against the pillow, all the while keeping his eyes trained on the woman above him.

"Sorry about this, but Ally's been begging to go to the zoo, and Jem promised he'd come with us as well" he apologised, running a finger slowly up the side of her arm. She shivered through the thin grey material of her overalls, her breathing slowing to a steady pace as she watched his fingers dance against the bare skin of her palm.

"Jem's been dying to see you, doesn't believe that I've actually met anyone" he laughed quietly and suddenly it all came flooding back for her. The memories, the pain and hurt of that final day that they should have spent at the zoo but instead was spent in front of the TV with a tissue box, chocolates and a trashy romance movie.

"Mike" she murmured trying to find the strength to explain to him that it wasn't real, they weren't living 5 years ago and she wasn't 'Kate' but instead 'X'; that they wouldn't be making it to the zoo because the night before she had ended it, broken both of their hearts because of some stupid reasoning that she couldn't remember because the his hand was creeping around the side of her stomach and blocking all sense of intelligible thoughts.

"God I'm tired" he murmured moments later, closing his eyes briefly as he yawned.

"Sleep then" she whispered to him, cracking her own eye's open to watch his smiling face.  
"Hmmm" he hummed "Wake me when Jem get's here" he mumbled out slowly as exhaustion over came him once more. She watched him for the next few minutes, his breathe even out steadily against her palm as he delved head first into the land of nod.

When she was sure he was asleep she reached one, shaky hand towards his forehead, laying it tentatively against the beaded brown skin. The tips of her fingers tingled as they came into contact with him, relishing the usual warmth he gave her that she had missed so dearly. When she was comfortable just laying her hand on his forehead she made the bold move of stroking back his hair, smoothing out the brown locks as a mother would to her child.

Minutes may have passed but she did not notice, all she could feel was the strands of hair beneath her fingertips as they were brushed against his sweating skin. Her mind was singing a slow song, over and over in her clouded mind.

'He loves you' it whispered through unintelligible lyrics, those three words echoing against music of her mind.

She was so drawn in by her own thoughts and feelings that she didn't hear the creak of the door opening slowly, or the footsteps of a small body stepping into the room.

"Kate" murmured Nav slowly, watching the scene before her with mixed emotions.

"Yes?" jumped the XO in surprise, sky rocketing away from her position on the bed to stand before the other woman; the other woman with quite the smirk on her face.

"We're almost back to base" informed Nav with a smile, peaking around Kate's shoulder to spy the sleeping captain.

"Out like a light" she laughed before looking back at the XO who grimacing slightly at what had just been witnessed.

"I won't say anything" confided Nav suddenly before turning on her heel and walking out of the room, the swish of her brown ponytail disappearing before Kate had even fathomed what had occurred.

She turned slowly back to Mike, drifting towards his bed while her light headedness increased twice fold.

She heard a snuffle and looked down to see Mike rubbing his nose in annoyance, sniffling every few seconds as he pulled the blanket closer around him.

Acting on impulse she leant down to cover his rough hands with her own, pulling the sheet around his body for him as he smiled up at her, eyes still clamped shut with sleep.

With her mind a million miles away, floating with the clouds while her body acted on instinct down bellow, she leant across to his forehead, kissing it softly like she had so many times before.

She brushed one, last, tiny strand of hair from his eyes before leaning back, watching him sigh deeply, before turning away from the bed, standing slowly to walk towards the door; her last thoughts before she stepped into the hallway that off his temperature, and the rate at which it was cooling.


	5. Final

"My throat hurts" sniffled Mike against the bed sheet, pulling it closer to his face to ward of the cool breeze seeping through the curtains.

"It won't if you stop talking" mumbled Jem in annoyance, sending his brother a glare. Mike retaliated by throwing the pillow lying near his head, missing the younger man by a metre as Jeremy dodged out of the way.

"Thought you were supposed to be looking after me" complained Mike, watching his brother laugh with a scowl. He rolled under the sheets so he was facing towards the window, peering out towards the slither of ocean that could be seen there.

"That was before I found out that you were worse a patient than Ally when she was a kid" answered Jeremy, landing with a thump on the lounge and pulling his guitar over to strum a tune. Mike groaned in annoyance, searching with his hand to find the pillow to cover his thumping head. When he realised that the pillow was laying half way across the room he rolled side ways to the floor, letting his body hit the wooden boards painfully before crawling to where it lay.

"What on earth are you doing?" asked Jeremy incredulously. He watched in amusement as Mike crawled on all fours, dragging the pillow behind him until he reached the lounge again.

"Can't be bothered to walk" muttered Mike, turning swiftly and hauling the pillow at his unsuspecting brother. He burst into laughter as Jeremy batted blindly at the pillow, diving on it before flinging it back at Mike, a war erupting and only ending when the front door swung open.

"What on earth are you doing?" asked Ally Flynn in amazement, staring at her brothers. She raised an eye brow towards Mike who sat panting on the floor, heaving in breathes between coughs. Jeremy was lying halfway across the lounge, mid plunge towards the last pillow left unaffected by the battle of earlier.

"Mum's going to kill you" she accused, pointing at Jeremy whose face contorted in confusion.

"Me?" he asked, glaring at Mike as he crawled back under the covers on the lounge.

"You were supposed to watch him" continued Ally, waving a hand towards her eldest brother as Jeremy grumbled beside her.

"Geez, you'd think you were 10 years old Jem"

Ally stormed towards the kitchen, carrying the shopping bags her mother had unceremoniously dumped in her hands out the front.

"Where's mum?" asked Mike, coughing as Jem threw a lone sock at him.

"Out the front" shouted Ally from the other room "Someone pulled up on the street and mum said she wanted to chat with her"

"What, she's chatting to randoms on the street now?" quipped Jem, wandering into the kitchen to escape Mike's glare.

"Funny" replied Ally. At 23 years of age she was the baby of the family by far, a fact which she often used to her own advantage. However it was days like today when she wondered how her brothers managed to be not only older, but in influential roles in society.

"Apparently it's a friend of yours Michael. Blonde hair, kinda short" Ally leant around the doorframe to eye her brother, holding out a glass of lemonade in the process.

Before he could reply a voice sounded through the hallway, announcing herself to the three occupants inside.

"Michael, Jeremy and Allison come here" called their mother, motioning to her new found friend to come inside.

"Look who I found at the door" she smiled, pulling the young woman in with her.

Some what reluctantly the woman obliged, letting herself be tugged along until she reached the lounge room.

"Jeremy and Allison, this is Katline" smiled Laura Flynn, introducing her.

Jeremy turned swiftly to look at his brother, sitting upright on the lounge and staring at the woman stood before him.

Mike had been released into the care of his family by Swain as the Hammersley arrived home earlier that week, his temperature still high but reasonable enough that the hallucinations had stopped by the time he awoke rugged up in bed. For the next few days he'd slept and tried to eat, not succeeding in stomaching much more than bread, water and numerous pain tablets for the headache he had acquired.

Until now no one from the Hammersley had been by to see him, and suddenly he felt quite exposed in front of his XO.

His mother, noticing this, ushered her two younger children out of the room to leave the pair alone, choosing to ignore the pleading looks on both adults' faces for her to stay.

"So I finally got to meet them" smiled Kate as soon as Mike had turned his gaze away from the door that Laura had disappeared behind.

He nodded in agreement, remembering the numerous times he'd promised his brother and sister that they could meet his new girl, and the day they almost had.

Kate must have noticed the pain that washed over his face at the thought because she immediately changed the subject, sitting down on the opposite lounge and fiddling with her bracelet. "Are you feeling better?"

Mike nodded heartedly in reply "Much thanks" he replied quietly.

"Temperature?" asked Kate, wondering just how much he knew about what had happened whilst at sea. She eyed him carefully to gauge any reaction from the captain.

"Much lower" he nodded once more. Suddenly he grabbed her wrist and held it up to his forehead, sending a shiver down Kate's spin.

"Yes" she agreed shakily, allowing him to drop her hand from his grasp and watching it fall to the lounge between them.

"I'm glad" she added, filling the conversation that was missing.

"Has anyone else been by?" asked Kate, looking around for any sign of past visitors.

Mike snorted in reply, surprising Kate with his amusement. "I have a cold Kate, not cancer" he grinned, leaning back and settling the blanket across his folded knees.

"I think they're all a bit scared of me now, apparently I was hallucinating while on board"

His statement sounded more like an inquiry and Kate nodded in affirmation, dreading the question she knew was coming.

Mike sighed in contemplation before leaning over to take one of Kate's hands in his own, laying it near his lap on top of the blanket.

"I said something, didn't I?" he asked finally, letting his gaze rest upon Kate. He watched her face twist in conflict, battling between whether to lie or tell him the truth.

"Nothing of which anyone could prove anything with sir" she answered finally, well aware of the ambiguity of the statement.

He raised an eye brow in question and so she continued.

"You thought we were back a few years ago" she added "Back when we were together" she mumbled, letting her face drop.

Mike's eyes shot up in surprise and he pursed his lips in concentration.

"No one knows, do they?" he finally asked, almost dreading her answer. Kate waved a hand about frantically in assurance. "No, no" she half smiled "I think Chefo and ET have their suspicions, maybe Buffer and Nav as well" she added, "but I managed to throw them off, somewhat" she smiled nervously at him, noting the way his face fell at the news.

"I promise you didn't do anything when they were in the room"

Mike's eye brows shot up immediately again, eyes staring down at Kate in realisation.  
"How about when they weren't in the room?" he asked bit by bit.

The slow blush that spread across Kate's cheeks answered his question well before she could think of any words to describe the situation, and he let his head fall in annoyance.

"What did I do" he murmured finally, sighing as he found the courage to face her.

Many moments passed as Kate once more deliberated between what she wanted to say and the truth.

Finally she sighed, figuring it was easier to get everything out in the open than waiting for it to come out later.

"You might have kissed me" she muttered, avoiding Mike's bulging eyes.

He sat back in shock at the enormity of her statement, praying that she hadn't been offended by the action and that no one else had witnessed it.

"Anything else" he managed to choke out, watching as Kate's face turned to stone before him. Suddenly he knew what he had done and sighed loudly, locking eyes with her in reassurance that she needn't speak.  
Sometimes actions were louder than words, he reasoned, but in this case the words themselves had been in some ways more telling than kiss.

"I should go" murmured Kate finally. She backed slowly from the lounge, turning once to smile and say goodbye before walking down the hall.

Mike looked up as the footsteps slowed, stopped for a second and then became louder again.  
"That day we were supposed to go to the zoo with your brother and sister" began Kate, looking around the room awkwardly to avoid Mike's gaze.

"It as for your birthday wasn't it?" she finally asked.

Mike smiled brightly before nodding, swallowing the cough he felt rising in order to speak.

"You were going to take me to see the giraffes and elephants, remember" he smiled cheekily, earning a rare grin from the XO.

"Yeah" she nodded happily, remembering the plans they had laid out. He watched as her face softened, memories overwhelming both.  
"I wish we had gone" Kate whispered finally, surprising her captain greatly.

"Me too" he nodded, seeking out her gaze to let her know his statement was genuine.

"I have to go" she whispered finally, struggling to break the connection.

"Happy Birthday Mike"

The captain grinned easily at her, calling out as she wandered back down the hall towards the door.

"I meant it Kate" he yelled, settling back into the pillows of the lounge. He could almost imagine the grin she was wearing at the thought of the four words he had spoken earlier that week.

Suddenly he was feeling much better.

4 years later:

"Want to see 'phant" chimed Isabella, searching for the giant, grey beasts from the safety of her Aunty Ally's arms.

"Soon Bells" she nodded, turning to watch her brothers and their wives stroll along behind. Jem and Maura, the newlyweds, had linked arms and were giggling between each other by the meerkats. Further back Kate and Mike rounded the corner, the pair chasing each other the breathlessly through the park before collapsing in laughter near where the group had set up lunch earlier.

"Mama!" yelled Isabella across the Zoo, noticing her parents for the first time. "Phant!" she pointed out, grinning as her father jogged towards her.

"Did you see the Elephant princess?" he asked excitedly, lifting her high above his head.

"There daddy's favourite as well" he murmured into her blonde locks of hair, smiling at her before lifting the toddler up onto his shoulders for a better view of the zoo.

"I like the giraffes" grinned Kate, linking arms with her husband and pulling on the sock of her daughter.

"You feeling better?" she asked, eyeing the man next to her. Mike had been feeling sick for the past week, insisting on Kate taking care of him whilst he got better. Over the past four years he had managed to fall ill around the same week annually, something of which he put down to fate. Kate on the other hand called it faking, though neither where complaining. The members of the Hammersley all attributed the captain's new found family to his first sickness and ever since any cough or sneeze was welcomed with open arms by the captain.

"Bella want's to see the monkeys" announced Mike to the group, bouncing the little girl along as he smiled in thought.

Life was good and whilst (in his opinion) he may not have been 100 percent healthy, he was happy. He'd finally gotten the woman of his dreams and the zoo trip that both had been waiting for.

--

Fini.


End file.
